Good Ideas
by SniperCT
Summary: Set during University days, Lara has a massive crush on Sam and Sam knows it. She drags Lara out shopping, and Lara is pretty sure that Sam is trying to kill her.


_**(For Endurance Week 2015 day 4; it seemed like a good idea at the time. I may make this an AU where they never go to Yamatai.)**_

The longer the day went on the more Lara rued agreeing to join Sam on this shopping trip. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. They both needed to get out after a stressful week of exams. And there were some high points - there were some children she'd told the story of an ancient Sun Queen to while Sam tried on close to three hundred outfits. But it was exhausting.

Of course, Sam _in_ some of those outfits was a high point. Some of the skirts were a little too short for Lara herself but she absolutely didn't mind them on Sam. Especially the one she was currently showcasing, which was combined with thigh-high stockings that left this tantalizing gap of flesh between the hem of the skirt and the top of the stocking. She was also wearing a loose wrap top. Lara swallowed hard, fingers itching to touch the gap. "That one's nice, Sam."

She pouted. "Just nice?"

"You look amazing?" And by amazing Lara meant she wanted to push her back into the dressing room and run her hand up her thigh.

She'd never really been attracted to anyone before but then Sam walked into her life. All Lara wanted to do was bury herself in books at the library and never come out, but Sam was a weakness. Lara often found herself toning her friend's antics down. She supposed that they balanced each other nicely in that respect. But the attraction was a growing source of alarm. It was as though she saw Sam one morning on the way to class and something clicked into place. She'd been stuck in her head ever since and she was increasingly sure that Sam was trying to _kill_ her.

"Lara?"

"Uh. Yes?"

"Are you okay?" She came over, sitting too close next to Lara. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." She glanced at her, then down at her legs and back up to her face. "Aren't you going to change?"

"Nah!" Sam gave her a mischievous grin. "Something tells me this is a winner, I'll pay and wear it out of the store."

While Sam did exactly that, Lara took the rest of Sam's bags and jogged over to a vending machine to get a bottle of water for each of them. She wordlessly handed one over when Sam approached, then followed her friend through the mall.

"I have a great idea."

Uh oh. Lara frowned. "What idea is this?"

"Come on!" She took Lara's hand and dragged her off, and her eyes widened as she saw Sam's destination.

"Sam, I don't think-"

"It's okay! I only want a few things and honestly you're in desperate need of some new knickers." She giggled, and finished pulling Lara into a lingerie store. "I love that word."

Lara fixed her eyes on a point of least embarrassment. "My underwear is perfectly fine."

"Your underwear is perfectly _boring_ ," Sam retorted. She asked a sales associate if she could stow her bags behind the counter, then started dragging Lara through the store. Lara found herself holding an increasingly large pile of fancy fabrics, before Sam pulled her into the dressing room.

"Strip," Sam ordered, and Lara felt her heart stop.

"Pardon?"

She laughed, lifting her top over her head and then unclasping the front of her bra. "Pick something and try it on."

"Isn't this unsanitary?" Lara asked, eyes wide like a deer in traffic.

"Well you keep your bottoms on." She stuck her tongue out, then tugged Lara's shirt over her head. She looked at Lara's bra thoughtfully. "Okay that one is actually kind of cute but you can do _so_ much better."

"Sam," Lara breathed. It was too hot and she was too close and woefully underdressed and now Sam was taking her bra off and how did she end up in this situation? She sat down heavily on the bench and in the close space her feet knocked into Sam's. Sam lost her balance and fell forward, Lara catching her.

Their faces were so close their noses were touching, and Sam was all but straddling Lara, a hand on a breast and the other on Lara's shoulder. Lara did something that could very well be _really_ bad.

She kissed her, and to her eternal delight and relief Sam returned the kiss, shifting into a more comfortable position on top of her. Lara ran her hand down Sam's back, reveling in the warmth of her skin. She was hyper aware of where Sam's hands were, and what the one on her breast was starting to do. She bit back a groan, breaking the kiss and leaning her head back against the mirror.

"Too much?" Sam asked, a cheeky smile on her face. Lara looked at her and stifled a laugh.

"No, just… not here."

Sam ran her hands down Lara's arms. She'd always loved Lara's arms, toned from her athletic activities. The woman was strong and brilliant and sexy and just amazing. Sam had been hooked from the start. "Oooh, is that a promise?"

Lara flushed. "What if it is?" She couldn't believe they'd started snogging half-starkers in the changing room. But then there were a lot of things she couldn't believe she'd ever do that she'd done since meeting Sam.

With a groan, Sam peeled herself off of Lara. "Oh my god I'm gonna die. I don't know if I'll survive the trip home." She put her bra on with the practiced ease of someone used to quickly getting dressed in the mornings.

"Why don't we pash some and see where it goes," Lara suggested. She couldn't explain where her nerves had suddenly come from. But this was Sam. _Her_ Sam and she didn't want to risk losing what they had over some passing desire.

Sam knelt in front of her, cupping her face. Her eyes were understanding. "I'll follow your lead, okay?"

They made it to the parking lot without further incident, and Sam latched onto Lara's arm. Unsaid words hung in the air between them, but Sam was content to let Lara mull things over first. The first time she'd seen Lara she'd fallen head over heels, and the more she got to know her the harder that fall became. And then Lara kept dropping little hints. Small enough to be deniable but obvious enough to someone who knew what to look for.

She stopped in front of the car, turning and leaning back against it. Lara put the bags in the trunk, then came around to Sam and put her arms against the door, on either side of her. Sam swallowed. "You've caught me. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

One of Lara's hands dropped to her side, her fingers teasing lightly at that gap of skin below Sam's skirt. Between the feather touch and the way Lara was holding her with her eyes, Sam forgot how to breathe.

"Not here." Lara said, and then she pulled away, opened the door and got into the car. Sam stood there out of breath, staring into the space that Lara had been. She was utterly surprised. And it was a happy surprise.

She slid into the passenger seat, hiking her skirt up a little to show more skin. She caught Lara staring and smirked at her. Lara cleared her throat, then reached over and fixed Sam's skirt. "Keep that up and we'll get into a wreck."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Sam reached over, and took Lara's hand.

Lara looked at their joined hands, then lifted Sam's to her lips and kissed it. "Do you want to go out?"

"Like on a date? Or like… steady?"

"Both."

Sam beamed at her, and the expression warmed Lara's heart. "I think that's a _great_ idea."


End file.
